Evangelism—We All Are Missionaries

We all are missionaries. All around us, right here in our community, in the nation, and across the world there are people who need Jesus. God saved and called us to be his holy, kingdom people for a purpose. He sends us into the world to proclaim His kingdom, to make Him known. Wherever we are, wherever we go, we are sent to make disciples of people, to be His witnesses, to be the salt and the light of the world. God loves all people, and He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (1 Pet 3:8). But how can they come to repentance if they don’t know the Name of the Lord? “How then can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?” (Ro 10:14-15) We are all sent to bring the good news through our lives, words, and deeds. We are all missionaries. We send, support, and pray for those who are full-time missionaries. But they are not the only ones on the front lines of God’s mission. We also are daily involved in the battle between light and darkness to overcome unbelief.

1. Pray for Those on the Front Lines of Missions

Therefore, we must pray. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. We must pray for God’s mission. We should pray for the missionaries who are serving full-time on the front lines of missions. We should pray for our church, one another, and for ourselves because we also are missionaries on the front line as we live and work in an unbelieving world. How should we pray? We should pray devotedly, watchfully, and with a thankful heart.

Devotedly — Devote yourselves to prayer. The first believers devoted themselves to prayer, all together in the upper room until the Holy Spirit came. We pray devotedly when we persevere, persist in prayer, when we pray at all times, and never stop praying. 1 Thess 5:17 says, pray continually. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph 6:18)

Watchfully — We pray watchfully. That means to be watchful, alert, and on our guard. Jesus told his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38). “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Co 16:13). To pray watchfully means also to focus on the right things, on God, His glory and kingdom, not only on ourselves and our needs. Prayer enables us to keep our eyes fixed on our Lord and His kingdom. Prayer helps us to become silent before God and hear his voice. STORY OF PRAYER

We pray with a thankful heart. Paul was in prison when he wrote this. Not a fun place to be. Yet, in prison or outside, while suffering or during good times, Paul was always thankful and rejoicing in the Lord. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

2. Pray for Opportunities to Share the Gospel

“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Vv3-4)

We should pray for opportunities to share the gospel, both for us and the missionaries. Are we asking God for opportunities to share the gospel? Are we asking him to open doors? Or are we conveniently quiet about this because we are too scared to share the gospel?

We should pray that we will have the wisdom to see the opportunities, and wisdom to know what to say and how to say it. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6)

We should pray for the missionaries and ourselves that we will have renewed energy. Intercultural living and ministry, constantly living on the front lines of God’s mission, is extremely stressful and exhausting. It is easy to become tired and discouraged when we don’t see any fruit in spite of all our efforts. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

We should pray for open doors for the Word. We serve a God of open doors. “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” (Rev 3:7-8). No man or devil can close the doors when God opens them. Sometimes we miss the opportunities, we don’t see the open doors because our focus is on the wrong place. We think, “I cannot do this. I don’t know what to say. I am scared.” Do you see? The focus is on me and not on God. God opens doors. This is his battle, His mission. He is in control. He will fight it. He will give us the right words to say and the right ways to share. Yes, it is daunting, overwhelming to share Jesus with others. But the Holy Spirit does it through us. All we must do is to step out in faith, walk through the open door, and trust Him.

We should pray for a clear proclamation of the gospel. Pray that the missionaries and we will be able to proclaim Jesus Christ clearly and truthfully so people will receive it with understanding and come to faith in Christ. Are we prepared? When God opens that door, are we ready to step through it? Do we know the gospel message? Do we know how to share Jesus with others? One of the best ways today to share the good news is through our personal testimonies. Have you prepared your story, to tell your story of who Jesus is, what He has done for you, how He has changed your life? We must prepare prayerfully so that we are ready to speak, explain, communicate, teach, proclaim the gospel clearly at all times.

And we should pray that God will give us clear minds, loving hearts, kindness, gentleness, joy, and peace. We should surrender control to the Holy Spirit of our minds, thoughts, hearts, mouths, and words so that we can be willing, clear channels, instruments for the Spirit to do His work.

3. Live Wisely in the World

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Vv5-6)

We are Christ’s ambassadors and witnesses to the world. We represent Him and his kingdom. We live as kingdom people before the world and in the world. What do they see when they see us? Therefore, we must live wisely among the unbelievers. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Pet 2:9-12)

We must make the most of every opportunity. The literal meaning is that we should buy out or buy up the time. We should take advantage of all the possibilities at hand to live the kingdom life and to proclaim God’s kingdom. We should not waste time. “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you …” (2 These 3:6-7)

The time is short. “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Ro 13:11-14)

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Eph 5:15-17)

We should use every opportunity to have engaging conversations with unbelievers so that they can understand the good news and respond in faith. We should ensure that we know the message of Christ well, that we are able to explain and defend it. We must know God’s Word. We must preserve, nurture, and cultivate carefully the truth of our Christian faith in our own hearts. So that we can grow in our ability to defend Christ’s message and our faith. We “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that [we] can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:9)

We should not be afraid to be missionaries and proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ. We should do so with boldness and courage but also in humility. We should do so with love, respect, gentleness, making sure that our words, our language, our conversations are full of grace. We should reflect God’s love and grace.

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Pet 3:16-17)

These days we hear many people wishing that the Lord will come back now. It is okay to look forward to His return with faith, hope, and excitement. But we must never become idle and lose the vision of our calling in the here and now. We are where we are at this time for a reason. As long as we are alive and in this world, there where we are, God has a mission for us. You are where you are, in that place, in this time for a reason. And part of that reason, part of that mission, is to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom that has come and is available in Jesus Christ.

Yes, it will be a glorious day when our Lord returns. But until He comes, He has sent us on His mission into the world. We are all missionaries, and we are sending, supporting, and praying for the missionaries. We will be diligent and faithful in our mission so that when He comes He will find us hard at work doing his kingdom work.

During these 40 Days of Prayer let us pray for opportunities to share Jesus with others. Let us reach out to the lost in our families, friends, communities, and workplaces. Pray and expect great things from God. Pray that God will give us the courage to step through the doors He opens. Ask the Spirit to empower us. He will do it. It is God’s mission, and we are all missionaries.